Seeking Beauty
Ezekiel 16
1 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, 3 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD to Jerusalem: “Your birth and your nativity are from the land of Canaan; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. 4 As for your nativity, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water to cleanse you; you were not rubbed with salt nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. 5 No eye pitied you, to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you; but you were thrown out into the open field, when you yourself were loathed on the day you were born.
6 “And when I passed by you and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ Yes, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ 7 I made you thrive like a plant in the field; and you grew, matured, and became very beautiful. Your breasts were formed, your hair grew, but you were naked and bare.
8 “When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine,” says the Lord GOD. 9 “Then I washed you in water; yes, I thoroughly washed off your blood, and I anointed you with oil. 10 I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of badger skin; I clothed you with fine linen and covered you with silk. 11 I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your wrists, and a chain on your neck. 12 And I put a jewel in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. 13 Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate pastry of fine flour, honey, and oil. You were exceedingly beautiful, and succeeded to royalty. 14 Your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through My splendor which I had bestowed on you,” says the Lord GOD.
I am reading the book CAPTIVATING, which is really interesting and full of truths of how a woman's mind works, and it has caught my interest how true it is that women seek beauty. Women seek to be beautiful on the inside and out. A woman desires to be told of her beauty. It's like how God KNOWS He's amazing and almighty and majestic. But He still desires that we TELL HIM how majestic and holy and magnificent He is! It's the same way for women and beauty. I might know that there is beauty in my heart, or think that I have some good days for outward appearance. But to hear someone tell me of that beauty, in sincerety and truth.... That is what my heart yearns for! Reading the above excerpt from Ezekiel just makes my heart leap within me, longing to be loved in that way, to feel in my own life the way I feel when I read that passage! It's one thing to have that love from Jesus, to know that Jesus loves me in that way. It's completely different to experience that love first-hand. To have that love of Christ manifested to you through another human being. And that's the longing of my heart, a woman's heart. To be beautiful, to know beauty, and to be told of that beauty. REAL beauty. The beauty that Christ's upholds. I am seeking beauty.
My Lord Jesus, I love you so much Lord. You are amazing to me, and you're greatly to be praised. You deserve the deepest depth of my love, and the greatest expression of love in my life. I thank you, my Prince, for loving me in such a way as this love that I see in Ezekiel 16. Your love for Jerusalem. With this same love you love me, and for that I thank you with all my heart. My sweet Jesus I long to know your love in a deeper way, to experience it more in my everyday life, and to be that love for the people around me. I long, oh Lord, to be beautiful in your sight, to be adorned with jewels of righteousness and a crown of purity. Oh that you would set your beauty in my heart and bind me to living in the presence of your beauty. My heart yearns to know beauty, and to be told of your beauty in me. Lord I want to wear the jewels of virtue and holiness. I want to be dressed all in white. Father, where there is guilt and shame in my life I pray that you would wash me clean. Everday remind me of your great amazing grace. Remind me of your fogiveness and that there is now no condemnation for me as I am in Christ Jesus. Teach me to live in a way that is glorifying to you, and help me to let go of my past. I long not to sweep the dirt under the rug, but that you would lift that dirt right out of the dark corners of my heart. Free me from the chains of shame that fall heavy on my heart, trapping me beneath. Release me from the bondage of Satan's lies, reminding me of all the times I've failed to seek holiness. Wash me clean, Father, in Christ Jesus, by His cleansing blood. And let your Spirit reign in my heart with all authority, breaking any chains that try to tie me down once more. As you have set the desire for beauty in my heart, so set beauty in my heart. Through your power, in your name. All holy and all powerful are you my God and my King. I bow my heart before you now in the cleansing name of my Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
1 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, 3 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD to Jerusalem: “Your birth and your nativity are from the land of Canaan; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. 4 As for your nativity, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water to cleanse you; you were not rubbed with salt nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. 5 No eye pitied you, to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you; but you were thrown out into the open field, when you yourself were loathed on the day you were born.
6 “And when I passed by you and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ Yes, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ 7 I made you thrive like a plant in the field; and you grew, matured, and became very beautiful. Your breasts were formed, your hair grew, but you were naked and bare.
8 “When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine,” says the Lord GOD. 9 “Then I washed you in water; yes, I thoroughly washed off your blood, and I anointed you with oil. 10 I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of badger skin; I clothed you with fine linen and covered you with silk. 11 I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your wrists, and a chain on your neck. 12 And I put a jewel in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. 13 Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate pastry of fine flour, honey, and oil. You were exceedingly beautiful, and succeeded to royalty. 14 Your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through My splendor which I had bestowed on you,” says the Lord GOD.
I am reading the book CAPTIVATING, which is really interesting and full of truths of how a woman's mind works, and it has caught my interest how true it is that women seek beauty. Women seek to be beautiful on the inside and out. A woman desires to be told of her beauty. It's like how God KNOWS He's amazing and almighty and majestic. But He still desires that we TELL HIM how majestic and holy and magnificent He is! It's the same way for women and beauty. I might know that there is beauty in my heart, or think that I have some good days for outward appearance. But to hear someone tell me of that beauty, in sincerety and truth.... That is what my heart yearns for! Reading the above excerpt from Ezekiel just makes my heart leap within me, longing to be loved in that way, to feel in my own life the way I feel when I read that passage! It's one thing to have that love from Jesus, to know that Jesus loves me in that way. It's completely different to experience that love first-hand. To have that love of Christ manifested to you through another human being. And that's the longing of my heart, a woman's heart. To be beautiful, to know beauty, and to be told of that beauty. REAL beauty. The beauty that Christ's upholds. I am seeking beauty.
My Lord Jesus, I love you so much Lord. You are amazing to me, and you're greatly to be praised. You deserve the deepest depth of my love, and the greatest expression of love in my life. I thank you, my Prince, for loving me in such a way as this love that I see in Ezekiel 16. Your love for Jerusalem. With this same love you love me, and for that I thank you with all my heart. My sweet Jesus I long to know your love in a deeper way, to experience it more in my everyday life, and to be that love for the people around me. I long, oh Lord, to be beautiful in your sight, to be adorned with jewels of righteousness and a crown of purity. Oh that you would set your beauty in my heart and bind me to living in the presence of your beauty. My heart yearns to know beauty, and to be told of your beauty in me. Lord I want to wear the jewels of virtue and holiness. I want to be dressed all in white. Father, where there is guilt and shame in my life I pray that you would wash me clean. Everday remind me of your great amazing grace. Remind me of your fogiveness and that there is now no condemnation for me as I am in Christ Jesus. Teach me to live in a way that is glorifying to you, and help me to let go of my past. I long not to sweep the dirt under the rug, but that you would lift that dirt right out of the dark corners of my heart. Free me from the chains of shame that fall heavy on my heart, trapping me beneath. Release me from the bondage of Satan's lies, reminding me of all the times I've failed to seek holiness. Wash me clean, Father, in Christ Jesus, by His cleansing blood. And let your Spirit reign in my heart with all authority, breaking any chains that try to tie me down once more. As you have set the desire for beauty in my heart, so set beauty in my heart. Through your power, in your name. All holy and all powerful are you my God and my King. I bow my heart before you now in the cleansing name of my Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.